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No less did the leader of the Catalans grow indignant, seeing what sort of trophies they were being deprived of by his co-commander, and he said to the emperor that he was under compulsion to follow Nicholas, and that it was not permitted to do anything that did not seem good to him also. For thus had he been commanded by the king, their lord. If he had not been under this compulsion, he would not have needed Nicholas for the attack against the enemies, but along with the emperor's forces alone he would have undertaken and accomplished the task, trusting in both the daring and valor of his own men and of the Romans. For they had seemed to him most daring and most experienced in battle. When the emperor perceived that he too was eager for the battle, he encouraged him all the more with words of exhortation, and he again tried to persuade Nicholas, with the leader of the Catalans also praising the emperor's opinion and begging him to obey the emperor who was advising the better course. But he gave ear to any words rather than those concerning battle; but he refused openly and thus passed a little more than thirty days in inaction. The Catalans, immediately after the battle, brought to Byzantium their wounded, however many there were, and the sick, who were very numerous. And the Byzantines received them very 3.226 kindly and cared for them very humanely, as they were in a bad state especially from hunger and cold. And they supplied the necessary clothing and provided aid for the illness of each, as many as did not die, worn out. And they condemned Nicholas for much cruelty and inhumanity, because, having taken charge of an army in its prime, very well trained for battles, and most superior in terms of bravery to those he himself led, he destroyed it as if on purpose through neglect. For setting out from their own land in the summer season, and thinking that in a short time they would either destroy the enemy upon encountering them, or be destroyed themselves, for with such an impulse did they campaign, they made no provision for clothing sufficient for a winter campaign, nor for other necessities, but having some moderate supplies, they went out in their ships. But with Nicholas wasting time badly and sailing around islands and avoiding battle out of cowardice, since they could not persuade him, though begging him repeatedly, to lead them against the enemy while the army was strong, as they would be much better than their hopes, and supplies were already beginning to fail, the general, constrained by necessity and fearing that they would perish utterly from want, ordered half-rations to be provided to each sailor and hoplite, being no more for the day than a barley-cake. And as food was supplied to them so stingily that they barely survived, and extraordinary winters 3.227 setting in, destroyed them completely, attacking them as they were naked and hungry. But Nicholas cared for none of these things, but even when putting into friendly trading ports with his ships, he took as much care as possible for his own men, but neglected his allies, who were not in the least better off, so to speak. Such ingratitude did he show towards his friends. For this, the Byzantines, rightly finding much fault with him, showed the complete opposite towards the Catalans, pitying them for such great misfortune. For not only were they utterly naked, but also phantoms of the weary dead, to speak poetically, still breathing a little and believed to be alive because they moved; but most were not even able to move, their limbs having been maimed by the cold. And they deemed them worthy of as much care as they would any of their closest kin. Not only the powerful among the citizens and the sacred hospices and the houses established for the common reception of strangers—this wonderful work among the Romans, full of great humanity—but also most of the common people and those occupied with workshops and crafts, or rather all of them, strove eagerly, each to surpass the other in their generosity toward the unfortunate, and so, having restored them well and deemed them worthy of the necessary care, they sent them off to their own triremes, which were already setting sail for home, praising the Romans much and of the

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οὐχ ἧττον δὲ καὶ ὁ τῶν Κατελάνων ἠγανάκτει ἡγεμὼν συνορῶν, οἵων ὑπὸ τοῦ συνάρχοντος τροπαίων ἀποστεροῦνται, ἔφασκέ τε πρὸς βασιλέα ἀνάγκην ἔχειν ἕπεσθαι Νικολάῳ, καὶ μηδὲν, ὃ μὴ κἀκείνῳ δοκεῖ, ἐξεῖναι πράττειν. οὕτω γὰρ εἶναι προστεταγμένον αὐτῷ παρὰ ῥηγὸς τοῦ σφῶν δεσπότου. εἰ δὲ μὴ ταύτην εἶχε τὴν ἀνάγκην, οὐκ ἂν ἐδεήθη Νικολάου πρὸς τὴν κατὰ τῶν πολεμίων ἔφοδον, ἀλλ' ἅμα ταῖς βασιλέως μόναις ἂν ἐπεχείρησε καὶ κατώρθωσε τὸ ἔργον, τῇ τε τῶν σφετέρων εὐτολμίᾳ πεποιθὼς καὶ ἀρετῇ καὶ τῇ Ῥωμαίων. εὐτολμότατοι γὰρ ἐφάνησαν αὐτῷ καὶ ἐμπειρότατοι κατὰ τὴν μάχην. αἰσθόμενος δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ αὐτὸν ὡρμημένον πρὸς τὴν μάχην, μᾶλλόν τε ἐπέῤῥωσε λόγοις παρακλητικοῖς, καὶ Νικόλαον αὖθις ἐπεχείρει πείθειν, καὶ τοῦ Κατελάνων ἄρχοντος τὴν γνώμην ἐπαινοῦντος καὶ δεομένου πείθεσθαι τῷ βασιλεῖ τὰ βελτίω συμβουλεύοντι. ὁ δὲ πᾶσι λόγοις μᾶλλον, ἢ τοῖς περὶ μάχης, ὑπεῖχεν ἀκοάς· ἀλλ' ἀπηγόρευε φανερῶς καὶ διήγαγεν οὕτως ἀπρακτῶν ὀλίγῳ πλείους ἡμερῶν τριάκοντα. Κατελάνοι δὲ εὐθὺς μετὰ τὴν μάχην τούς τε τραυματίας, ὅσοι ἦσαν, καὶ τοὺς νενοσηκότας, παμπόλλους ὄντας, ἤγαγον εἰς Βυζάντιον. καὶ φιλο 3.226 φρόνως ἄγαν οἱ Βυζάντιοι ἐδέξαντο καὶ ἐθεράπευσαν μάλα φιλανθρώπως, ὑπὸ λιμοῦ καὶ κρύους μάλιστα κακῶς διακειμένους. καὶ τά τε ἀναγκαῖα τῶν ἐνδυμάτων ἐχορήγουν καὶ πρὸς τὴν νόσον ἤρκεσαν ἑκάστῳ, ὅσοι μὴ ἀπέθνησκον κατεργασθέντες. πολλήν τε κατεγίνωσκον ὠμότητα καὶ ἀφιλανθρωπίαν Νικολάου, ὅτι στρατιὰν ἀκμάζουσαν καὶ πρὸς μάχας κάλλιστα ἐξησκημένην καὶ πλεῖστα διαφέρουσαν, ὧν αὐτὸς ἦγε, πρὸς ἀνδραγαθίας λόγον, παραλαβὼν, ὥσπερ ἐξεπίτηδες διέφθειρε καταμελήσας. θέρους γὰρ ὥρᾳ τῆς ἰδίας γῆς ἐξορμηθέντες καὶ νομίσαντες ἐν ὀλίγῳ χρόνῳ ἢ διαφθερεῖν τοὺς πολεμίους προστυχόντες, ἢ αὐτοὶ διαφθαρήσεσθαι, τοιαύτῃ γὰρ ἐξεστράτευσαν ὁρμῇ, οὔθ' ἱματίων πρόνοιαν πρὸς τὴν ἐν χειμῶνι στρατείαν ἀρκεσόντων ἐποιήσαντο, οὔτε τῶν λοιπῶν ἐπιτηδείων, ἀλλὰ μέτρι' ἄττα ἔχοντες, ἐξῄεσαν ἐν ταῖς ναυσί. Νικολάου δὲ τὸν χρόνον τρίβοντος κακῶς καὶ νήσους περιπλέοντος καὶ φυγομαχοῦντος ὑπ' ἀνανδρίας, ἐπεὶ πείθειν οὐκ εἶχον πολλὰ δεόμενοι ἐπάγειν σφᾶς τοῖς πολεμίοις, ἕως ἔῤῥωται ἡ στρατιὰ, ὡς πολλῷ τῶν ἐλπίδων βελτίους ἐσομένους, τά τε ἐπιτήδεια ἐπιλείπειν ἤδη ἤρχετο, ἀνάγκῃ περισχεθεὶς ὁ στρατηγὸς καὶ δείσας, μὴ παντάπασιν ἀπόλωνται ὑπὸ ἐνδείας, ἐκέλευε τὴν ἡμίσειαν τροφὴν ἑκάστῳ καὶ ναύτῃ καὶ ὁπλίτῃ παρέχειν, τῆς ἡμέρας οὐδὲν πλέον, ἢ μάζης οὔσης. γλίσχρως δὲ αὐτοῖς χορηγουμένης τῆς τροφῆς ὡς μόλις ἀποζῇν, καὶ χειμῶνες ἐπι 3.227 γενόμενοι ἐξαίσιοι, διέφθειραν παντάπασι γυμνοῖς καὶ πεινῶσιν ἐπιθέμενοι. Νικολάου δὲ οὐδενὸς ἐμέλησε τῶν τοιούτων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ἐμπορίοις τοῖς σφίσι φιλίοις προσίσχων ταῖς ναυσὶ, τῶν μὲν ἰδίων ἐποιεῖτο πρόνοιαν, ὅση δυνατὴ, τῶν δὲ συμμάχων, οὐδ' ὅσον εἰπεῖν ὄντων βελτιόνων, κατημέλει. τοιαύτην ἐνεδείξατο ἀγνωμοσύνην πρὸς τοὺς φίλους. ὃν δικαίως πολλὰ καταμεμφόμενοι Βυζάντιοι τοὐναντίον ἅπαν ἐπεδείκνυντο πρὸς Κατελάνους, τῆς τοσαύτης οἰκτείροντες κακοπραγίας. οὐ μόνον γὰρ ἦσαν παντάπασι γυμνοὶ, ἀλλὰ καὶ νεκρῶν εἴδωλα καμόντων, ποιητικῶς εἰπεῖν, ὀλίγον ἐμπνέοντες ἔτι καὶ ζῇν πεπιστευμένοι τῷ κινεῖσθαι· οἱ πλείους δὲ οὐδὲ κινεῖσθαι ἦσαν δυνατοὶ, ὑπὸ τοῦ ψύχους τῶν μελῶν ἠκρωτηριασμένων. καὶ τοσαύτης ἠξίωσαν ἐπιμελείας, ὅσης ἄν τινας καὶ τῶν οἰκειοτάτων. οὐ μόνον οἱ δυνατοὶ τῶν πολιτῶν καὶ φροντιστήρια ἱερὰ καὶ οἱ πρὸς κοινὴν ὑποδοχὴν τῶν ξένων κατεσκευασμένοι οἶκοι, τὸ θαυμαστὸν τοῦτο παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις ἔργον καὶ πολλῆς φιλανθρωπίας γέμον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν τοῦ δήμου πλεῖστοι καὶ τῶν ἐργαστηρίοις καὶ τέχναις προσεχόντων, μᾶλλον δὲ σύμπαντες ἐφιλονείκουν, ἄλλος ἄλλον ὑπερβαλέσθαι τῇ περὶ τοὺς δυσπραγοῦντας φιλοτιμίᾳ, καὶ οὕτω καλῶς ἀνακτησάμενοι καὶ προνοίας τῆς δεούσης ἀξιώσαντες, ἐξέπεμπον ἐπὶ τὰς σφῶν τριήρεις πρὸς τὴν οἰκίαν ἀπαιρούσας ἤδη, πολλὰ Ῥωμαίους εὐφημοῦντας καὶ τῆς